


Words: Limitation

by bekeleven



Series: Words that we Couldn't Say [3]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Drama, Gen, Speech Disorders
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-02
Updated: 2016-03-25
Packaged: 2018-05-24 09:21:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 12,779
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6148903
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bekeleven/pseuds/bekeleven
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Neopolitan and Ruby search for the truth in Mistral. They're not ready for what they find.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Straight Talk

Blake strode through the parking lot, feeling naked. But she was in public, or close enough, and these days Mistral civilians knew what white fang masks looked like.

After an eternity she reached the door. She pounded on it once, twice, then spoke. "It's Belle." The people behind the door would know who she was. They would have seen her enter the parking lot and compared her to the headshots they had on file. Not that her identity was a mystery. They knew she was coming.

Blake had told them.

The door opened, and an arm pulled her inside. The arm belonged to one of four uniformed, masked white fang members staring her down. Blake made sure to keep her hands above her head as they spent more time than necessary patting her down, until finally she was shoved down the entrance hallway and through a set of double doors. There, her guards handed her to two more white fang members. Each took one of her arms and walked her through a maze of rooms and hallways. If this part of the journey was meant to confuse Blake, it succeeded, but not in the way they may have been going for. The fact that they didn't want her to know the layout of the building seemed to suggest that they were planning to let her go alive. _Somehow, this could still work._

Blake swished her tongue around her mouth, feeling the capsules fitted onto her teeth.

Just in case.

Finally, those guards knocked on another set of double doors, heavy, painted white. They opened and Blake was handed off yet again to two _more_ guards. Each took an arm and they brought her through a doorway into a smaller room, barely larger than a closet, with a man behind a desk at the end.

He didn't look up from his papers. The room was kept too dark for even many faunus to read, and Blake wondered if he was faking it. "Sit her down."

The guards walked Blake over to the chair in front of his desk. Uncushioned metal. She sat when they pushed her down.

"Hello, Tabby Belle. Have you run out of followers?" The man's voice was cordial, almost welcoming.

Blake resisted the urge to use one of his equally unflattering nicknames. "Alt. Your business is going smoothly."

He nodded. "More customers every day. The humans don't know what they're funding." He was overweight and dressed in blacks and reds, undoubtedly an intentional allusion. Like Blake, his face was uncovered. "But then, you already knew that."

Blake nodded. "And you know why I'm here."

Alt smiled. "You're here because you want to spend my money."

Blake shook her head, earning a cuff behind her ears from one of the guards. She tried to ignore it. "Keep it, Alt, I know you want to. I just need your manpower."

"How generous. I get to keep my own money? Leave us." He waved his hand towards the door.

Each guard placed a hand on one of Blake's shoulders. Blake heard rustling and turned to her head to see. Each guard had a pair of handcuffs. In unison, they slapped one cuff around each arm of her chair, which Blake was now realizing was secured to the floor.

She turned back to Alt, using the motion to move her hands into her lap. Then she bit into her second false tooth. Air dust.

Just enough. Blake sighed very visibly and settled into the chair. She placed her left arm onto the chair's arm, then created a shadow arm over the chair's right armrest, with the dust to make it tactile. Two cuffs clicked into place, and the guards turned to leave.

Blake tested the freedom of her left arm. She couldn't even get it to the side of the chair's arm. Still, it was her only play. She let the shadow arm lapse - out of dust anyway - and rattled the cuff around her left wrist to cover the sound of the right cuff hitting the chair's arm. Then she moved her right arm under the armrest and pulled the empty cuff under with her thumb. Hopefully it would just look like the guard had cuffed her in an even less comfortable pose.

"So, I suppose you have me right where you want me."

"So, I suppose you're going to tell me why I shouldn't do what I'm going to do."

"Alt, if we make peace here, we can combine our forces, our territories. You've had your eyes on western industrial for _years_ under Adam."

"There are two flaws in your proposal, kitty cat." Alt rose from his seat and walked around his desk, so Blake could see his bird talons. "The first is that I know _partnership_ with you would leave you with my men. Giving me no territory at all."

He walked behind her chair, so that even craning her neck, Blake couldn't get a good look at him. "The second is that if you aren't there to lead your people, I get the territory for free."

"You're wrong." But Blake's words had a note of desperation now. "They followed Mauricius before me and they'll follow him after."

"Silly kitten. As if your murder of Mauricius hadn't reached my ears."

"I didn't kill him, I _recruited_ him." It was easier to say because it was the truth. Although it was harder to say because, like Alt thought, Mauricius _was_ dead, just not by her hand. "And honestly, whatever you decide do, what's with the names?" She'd been called worse, even by other faunus, but what did they give him now?

"Say what you will. I think you were losing support with your cell and came to me for help." Blake frowned. With the information Alt would have, his reasoning made sense. He rounded to her left side. "A last-ditch effort to save your status, along with those cute little ears of yours. And in the end, you're not even surprised it failed. I know you love books, so tell me. Does that sound like a likely story to you, _Blake Belladonna?"_

Blake stayed silent. Few members of the white fang knew her name. Had Alt been in Adam's confidence? He hadn't been high up when she'd left...

Alt walked back behind her. "That was a nice trick with the cuff, by the way." And he placed his arm around her neck and squeezed.

Blake's body protested immediately, but she was able to bite into her third false tooth. She rocked her head forward, leaving a fire clone behind it, scorching his chest. Then she brought her arm up and punched him in the head, over and over. She had no angle. She had no strength. Her aura weakened, followed by her vision. She bit her first tooth. Gravity dust.

She floated out of the chair, pushing off for the force to take Alt with her. She pivoted around her left arm, still cuffed in place, and slammed headfirst into the ground. Or, her head would have hit the ground, had it not hit Alt's chest first. She lay on her back, on top of him, arm still attached to the chair.

"Nice... trick." He hadn't let go. "But I have something you don't." He gripped the carpet with his feet and pivoted upwards somehow. Blake's aura and wrist snapped together.

The strength left her body. Her left arm was solid fire that refused to burn off. He was pulling her as he strangled, keeping her arm taut. Standing up using only his feet, with Blake on top of him... She hadn't seen that coming.

But she had something he didn't. And through the heartbeats pounding in her ears, she could _hear_ it coming. Blake went limp.

The door burst open, revealing a man wearing a white fang mask and a black and purple uniform. He fired his rifle three times at Alt's head. Blake fell with his corpse, its arm still around her neck, and the pain in her wrist reached new heights. She gasped, but her throat could barely let through any air.

Behind the first man came another, holding one of her handcuffers at gunpoint. She unlocked Blake's arm and was led from the room. The first man, her savior, dragged her off of Alt's corpse.

Blake's eyes were watering. She put her hand on her chest but anything she did seemed to make it hurt more. Finally, she left it across her stomach and took shallow breaths, so as not to move it too much.

"Slop-" Blake tried to admonish Alt's corpse but the vibrations from her speech hurt too much to say more.

"No deaths among ours," the man told her. "All eyes looking inwards."

"Medic," Blake whispered. The louder she spoke the more it hurt.

"Sorry, Belle. Triage first. You're going to live. They'll be here soon."

Blake rocked her head forward and slammed it back against the floor. That seemed to help for a moment. She groaned.

Finally she decided she could bear another word. "Them?"

"Looks like three dead, three seriously injured, final nineteen mostly intact." He smiled under his mask. "A good haul. And I am sorry about this, but you'd hate me tomorrow if I gave you exceptions."

Blake couldn't remember this one's name. She'd remembered Mauricius, and her second-in-command after him, and then her third second once he'd died. Her head had run out of room for the living. As far as Blake could remember, he was the team leader with feathers.

 _I'm sorry. I'll learn your name once I..._ Blake exhaled through clenched teeth. She needed sedation, a cast, anything.

In silence, Feathers took out a mask and strapped it to Blake's head. Once the medics arrived, she had to look like their leader. All movement reverberated into her wrist.

Alt's money wasn't worth this pain.

She hoped his people were.


	2. Always Say Goodnight

ʀʀ: sᴏ ᴡʜᴀᴛ's ɪᴛ ʟɪᴋᴇ sᴘᴇᴀᴋɪɴɢ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴛʜɪs ᴀʟʟ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛɪᴍᴇ?

Neo turned her head. Over Nora's snoring form she could see Ruby, face lit by the glow from her scroll, waiting for an answer.

ɪ ɢᴏᴛ ᴜsᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ɪᴛ. ɪ ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ʜᴏᴡ ᴛʜɪɴɢs ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʙᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜᴏᴜᴛ ɪᴛ. Neo hit send, and Ruby looked away from Neo to her screen.

ʀʀ: ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴀ ɢᴏᴏᴅ ᴠᴏɪᴄᴇ. ɪ ʟɪᴋᴇ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴠᴏɪᴄᴇ.

Neo smiled. ɪ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴍʏ ᴠᴏɪᴄᴇ ᴛᴏᴏ. ᴡʜᴀᴛ's ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴡᴇᴀᴘᴏɴ ᴀɢᴀɪɴsᴛ ᴄɪɴᴅᴇʀ?

Ruby's eyes widened and her gaze flickered between the screen and Neo's face. Finally she bit her lip and wrote, ʀʀ: ɪ ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ᴛʜɪɴᴋ ɪ'ᴍ sᴜᴘᴘᴏsᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴛᴇʟʟ ᴀɴʏᴏɴᴇ.

Anyone? Or Neo? Who made these rules? Was Neo not trusted?

_I wouldn't trust me. Still don't._

Ruby bit her lip and looked down. Neo typed, ʜᴀᴠᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴇᴀʀᴅ ᴀɴʏ ɴᴇᴡs ᴏɴ ᴛᴏʀᴄʜᴡɪᴄᴋ

ʀʀ: sɪʟᴠᴇʀ ᴇʏᴇs.

 _What about them?_ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴍᴇᴀɴ?

ʀʀ: ᴡʜᴇɴ ɪ ɢᴏᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛᴏᴡᴇʀ, ᴍʏ ᴇʏᴇs sᴛᴀʀᴛᴇᴅ ɢʟᴏᴡɪɴɢ, ᴀɴᴅ ɪ ᴇʀᴜᴘᴛᴇᴅ sᴏᴍᴇʜᴏᴡ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴀ ᴡᴀᴠᴇ

ʀʀ: ᴏғ ʟɪɢʜᴛ ᴡʜᴇɴ ɪ ɢᴏᴛ ᴜᴘ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛᴏᴡᴇʀ

ʀʀ: ᴀɴᴅ ɪ sᴀᴡ ᴄɪɴᴅᴇʀ

Ruby was crying. ʀʀ: ᴀɴᴅ ᴘʏʀʀʜᴀ ʟᴏᴏᴋᴇᴅ ᴀᴛ ᴍᴇ

Neo rose from her side of the bed and walked around. Ruby didn't seem to notice. ʀʀ: ᴀɴᴅ ɪ ғᴇʟᴛ ᴛʜɪs ʙᴜʀɴɪɴɢ ɪɴ ᴍʏ ʜᴇᴀᴅ

Neo leaned down and hugged Ruby, as best as she could through the covers. She couldn't type while hugging, so she shook her head.

"Neo..." Ruby whispered. "I'm sorry. You deserve to know."

Neo shook her head. She wanted to hold the hug, but instead she let go and typed, ɪ ᴛʀᴜsᴛ ʏᴏᴜ.

"Thank you."

The questions about Neo's eye color made sense now. How long had Ruby known? Had she thought Polly to have special powers, capable to stopping Cinder with a single freezing glance? _Sorry. I hope it doesn't ruin your plans, but I watched plenty of friends die while my head burned, and nothing ever happened._

What Neo needed now was to distract Ruby. Luckily, she had a topic prepared. ɪ'ᴠᴇ ʙᴇᴇɴ ᴛʜɪɴᴋɪɴɢ ɪ sʜᴏᴜʟᴅ ɴᴀᴍᴇ ᴍʏ ᴜᴍʙʀᴇʟʟᴀ

"You never named it? How long have you used it?"

6 ʏᴇᴀʀs ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ. As planned, Ruby forgot her sorrow. Neo watched the gears turn in her head.

"How about Harlequin? Because of all the colors. And it matches you."

Neo frowned. She wasn't sure how she felt about an umbrella named Harlequin. Or about being compared to it.

"Uh, alright then. How about Amitola. Wait. Is it a girl umbrella?"

Neo shrugged her shoulders.

"Amitola. Means rainbow, but it's a boy name. How about Iris?"

Neo thought for a moment, then nodded. It meant rainbow too, but it also meant Neo's eyes. Which was another way of saying, any color she wanted.

ɪ ᴄʜʀɪsᴛᴇɴ ʜᴇʀ ɪʀɪs.

Ruby smiled. It had worked. "Are you from Mistral?"

Neo nodded.

"Where?"

ɴᴏʀᴛʜ ʀᴇsɪᴅᴇɴᴛɪᴀʟ.

"Is there anything you miss there?"

There were people that she'd missed, but she'd just kept stabbing until she made contact. Neo shook her head.

"I would... If you'd like to tell me more, I'd be glad to hear about it. About your life. You weren't always this way."

Neo narrowed her eyes. ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴀʏ?

"Well, quiet. You used to be able to speak."

ɪ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅɴ'ᴛ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴛᴇʟʟ ʏᴏᴜ ᴍᴏʀᴇ.

"Well, ok then. It's just, I want to help you, I do. And you've said words to me and that's great. But when I'm fixing Crescent Rose, I need to know how she broke."

ɪғ ᴛʜᴇ ᴀɴsᴡᴇʀ ᴡᴀs sᴏᴍᴇᴛʜɪɴɢ ʏᴏᴜ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ғɪɢᴜʀᴇ ᴏᴜᴛ ғʀᴏᴍ ᴀ ғɪᴠᴇ ᴍɪɴᴜᴛᴇ sᴜᴍᴍᴀʀʏ ᴏғ ᴍʏ ʟɪғᴇ ɪ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴀʟʀᴇᴀᴅʏ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ɪᴛ.

"No, Neo, that's not what I meant."

ɪ'ᴍ ɴᴏᴛ ᴏɴᴇ ᴏғ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴘʀᴏᴊᴇᴄᴛs ᴀɴᴅ ɪ'ᴍ ɴᴏᴛ ʙʀᴏᴋᴇɴ.

"Neo, I said the wrong thing. I'm sorry!"

Neo circled the bed and slipped under the covers. She'd read about sulking, but never before had a chance. Ruby rose from her spot, lay back down, and started typing a message on her scroll.

"Uh, ladies?" said Nora from the middle of the bed. "I'm awake. You're not exactly silent."

When had Nora stopped snoring?

Neo held out her scroll. sᴏʀʀʏ.

Nora smiled. "Hey, we have a hotel room. I can stand to wake up a few times for this bed." Neo had no idea Pyrrha was in hotel ads, and as far as she could tell, neither did Ruby or Pyrrha's team. But Nubu had known just who to call to get them set up in the city. Neo hadn't ever spent time in this district of the kingdom, beyond pulling jobs here.

"I am sorry. I shouldn't have said that." Ruby sat up again. "Both because you're a person and a friend and you don't need to be fixed but also because it woke up Nora, hello Nora."

"Oh, Ruby, don't worry it. Well, the me part of it. You can worry about the Neo part if you like."

ɪ ᴀᴍ ᴀ ғᴜɴᴄᴛɪᴏɴɪɴɢ ᴘᴇʀsᴏɴ. ʙᴜᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴛᴇʟʟ ᴍᴇ ɪ'ᴍ ɴᴏᴛ ᴡʜᴏʟᴇ ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜsᴇ ɪ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ғᴏʀɢᴏᴛ. Neo held her scroll out where both could read it. It seemed impolite to exclude Nora at this point.

"I'm happy to know you," Ruby declared. "You've made my life better. I hope the same is true for you."

ɪᴛ ɪs. Neo placed her scroll on her nightstand and lay down, staring up at the hotel ceiling. Knowing Ruby for the past few months had helped.

Like Torchwick, before her.


	3. Nothing to Say

Ren and Nora made a good team. Not just in how they functioned, although that was likely true too. _Aesthetically_. Tall and short, man and woman. They fit together like puzzle pieces. And they looked like a couple. The way they regarded each other, nonverbal stuff. Neo always noticed the nonverbal stuff.

Neo didn't see Ruby pair like that with anybody. Jaune got along with Ren, but Jaune could hardly be trusted in such a delicate operation. Neo had her doubts about Nora as well, but her persona wouldn't blow the charade, not on its own. Nora would say something that didn't make sense. Jaune would say the one thing Neo instructed him not to.

Ren led Nora to the door and Ren knocked. The two waited about twenty seconds in silence before Nora knocked again.

Neo typed, ᴡʜɪsᴘᴇʀ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ᴡᴀɪᴛɪɴɢ ᴛᴏᴏ ʟᴏɴɢ and hit send. Ren took out his scroll like he was checking the time and leaned close to Nora. From Neo's vantage, the entire apartment building seemed dead.

No, not quite. There was movement in an upper window, looking down on the pair. Somebody ducking out. Why weren't they open for business? Things had changed since Neo had been to Mistral, but they hadn't changed so much that people would refuse money. Was the watcher headed downstairs to answer the door? To let somebody know? Was there only one person in the entire complex?

The building's roof door opened, and a woman in a white fang mask stepped out. _Location abandoned. Left a scout._ Neo sent a message on her scroll: ᴍᴏᴠᴇ ɪɴ. sᴛᴀʏ ᴄᴀʀᴇғᴜʟ. And as the woman jumped to the next roof, Neo opened her window and jumped out.

The street was too wide for Neo to easily cross it to the white fang building. She grabbed a drainpipe and swung up and onto the roof of her building, some shop with unlocked third-floor apartments. From there she could take a running start to the roof's edge and pop Iris to drift to the other side. A little slow and more than a little visible, but her quarry was moving away from her already, so not like being seen would change things.

Neo jumped and floated. The woman saw. Neo reached the other side of the street, but she was three roofs behind. She closed Iris and took off.

The woman was nearly as small as Neo and nearly as fast. She went one more roof and jumped off the side, into an alley. Neo sprinted over, hooked Iris under her shoulder, and jumped down after her. The woman was climbing down a fire escape. Neo grabbed her shirt as she fell past, ripping her from the ladder, then popped Iris open. A patch tore out of the woman's shirt, and she dropped out of Neo's hand into a dumpster. _Oops._

Neo landed in the alley as the woman surfaced in the garbage, coughing and gasping. It was a large dumpster, so Neo waited for the woman to climb out and into her reach, then grabbed her by the collar and threw her to the alley asphalt. Her gun skidded away.

She held her scroll over the woman's head. ɪ ɴᴇᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ sᴘᴇᴀᴋ ᴛᴏ ᴀᴅᴀᴍ ᴛᴀᴜʀᴜs.

"I have nothing to say to you," the woman said, lisping her words. She tried to get off of her back. Neo slapped Iris across her shoulders to keep her down.

 _You could at least tell me he's dead. Then we can start the real conversation._ Members of the white fang shouldn't know who she was specifically. ʙʀɪɴɢ ᴍᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴀᴅᴀᴍ.

The woman spit on Neo's leg. Neo hit her with Iris again.

The woman stayed still this time. So Neo slid out Iris's blade and brought it to her eye.

"Adam is dead." Neo noticed a snake tongue flicker out between her lips for a moment after she stopped speaking.

 _Finally!_ Neo couldn't hold Iris still and type at the same time, so she just typed. ᴡʜᴏ ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴏʀᴋ ғᴏʀ. Then she brought the blade back to her eye.

"You coward," said the woman.

Neo retracted the blade, hung Iris on her belt, grabbed the woman's arm, and lifted her to her feet. She stood facing Neo, unsure. Keeping one eye on her, Neo typed out, ᴛʜᴇɴ sʜᴏᴡ ᴍᴇ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴄᴏᴜʀᴀɢ

Before she could finish typing, the snake woman turned to run. Ironic. Neo kicked her in the back, knocking her onto the street, then hauled her back up by her collar and knocked her back down with a blow to the head. Her aura cracked. Neo rolled her over onto her back to make eye contact, and shook her head.

"Who do you work for?" asked the snake woman.

ᴀɴ ᴀʟʟʏ ᴏғ ᴀᴅᴀᴍ's

"Not good allies if you don't know he's been dead for weeks now."

Neo drew Iris, popped out her blade, and sliced the woman's cheek. Traffic was light in this district, but she didn't want to cause _too_ much sound. The woman placed a hand on her cheek and took it off to stare at the blood.

"I don't want to betray Belle," said the woman, betraying Belle. She was breathing in sharp, shallow breaths.

 _It can't be._ Belladonna? Had Blake actually taken over?

Neo took out her scroll again. ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴅɪᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ғɪɴᴅ?

ʟʀ: ᴅᴇsᴛʀᴜᴄᴛɪᴏɴ ᴀɴᴅ sɪɢɴs ᴏғ ʙᴀᴛᴛʟᴇ.

ʀʀ: ᴡ.ғ. ʙᴏᴅɪᴇs.

So Blake was _in the process_ of taking over. Neo had only sent her on the mission to keep her out of Ruby's sightline. Just her luck that Neo would end up needing her to track down Cinder.

Blake wouldn't help her if she heard Neo was torturing her scouts. And Ruby would hate to hear about Neo slicing people's faces open. Hate Neo herself, even. But all of those problems had a simple solution.

 _Make it work anyway._ ʙᴇʟʟᴇ ɪs ᴡɪɴɴɪɴɢ?

"More than any of the others realize."

Neo frowned. How on earth can Ruby get anything done at this rate? ɪ ɴᴇᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ sᴇᴇ ʜᴇʀ. ᴇᴠᴇʀʏᴛʜɪɴɢ ɪs ᴄʜᴀɴɢɪɴɢ.

The woman had caught her breath. "And why would I help you?"

Couldn't she see? ᴡᴇ'ʀᴇ ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ sᴀᴍᴇ sɪᴅᴇ.

"Sure doesn't look like it from down here."

Next Neo would tell the woman that she thought she was white fang. The woman would tell Neo that she _was_ white fang. Neo would tell her that Blake's faction was on her side. She wouldn't be believed. Neo would tell her that she's an old acquaintance and get nowhere. Neo would tell her that she would have to take her to Blake anyway and be denied. Neo would decide that she didn't have time for this. Neo would be right.

 _Ruby would want me to make it work._ ɪ ᴡɪʟʟ ᴅɪsᴀʀᴍ ɪғ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴀᴋᴇ ᴍᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ᴀɴᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ᴛᴏ ʜᴇʀ.

"So now I have to trust someone else too?"

Neo growled in frustration. ғɪɴᴇ ᴊᴜsᴛ ᴄᴀʟʟ ʜᴇʀ. She handed her scroll over and stepped back.

The white fang woman got up from the street, looked at Neo's scroll, then threw it towards the front of the alley. It hit a wall and bounced out of the alley into the street, where Neo lost sight of it. She turned back to Neo and smiled.

Neo stabbed her through the eye. She fell, and Iris's blade scraped the street. Then Neo withdrew her blade, wiped it down on the woman's purple clothing, and dumped the body in the dumpster.

She left the alley to look for her scroll.

Sometimes things just didn't work.


	4. Shut Your Eyes

It took Neo ten seconds to write on the unfamiliar keypad. ɪ ᴡɪʟʟ ᴡᴀɪᴛ ʜᴇʀᴇ.

"You don't want come?" asked Nora.

ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɢᴏᴅ ᴡɪʟʟ ɪ ᴅᴏ? Key repeat time was too long, it couldn't even keep up with Neo's slowed pace. Maybe she could find the setting.

"Well, you know what we're up against," Ruby encouraged. "But if you don't think you'd be the best person to talk about it, you can wait here for us."

Neo raised an eyebrow.

Ruby leaned in close, although Neo didn't see any bystanders listening. "Do you think he'll recognize you?"

Neo shook her head. She shouldn't be known in Mistral. Just useless at talking was all.

The wall to the right of the door had a bench. Neo sat on one end and nodded to the group. Jaune led them over to the desk of the assistant, who asked a question, checked a list, and waved them to the office door.

Neo opened her scroll. She'd just started a study on alternative fuels on her old scroll, but had no pay books on this one. So she tapped _Grimm Encyclopedia 3: Airborne_ and skimmed a few pages. The screen wasn't even the right color. Was it _already_ low on battery?

A man sat down next to her. He was tall, dark, tattooed, and wore a white coat. Neo went back to her book. It wasn't very interesting.

Neo _did_ want to join Ruby. She wanted to protect her. Who knows what kind of questions the Haven man would be asking.

What Neo didn't want were the questions directed at her. Why she didn't speak. How she knew what she knew. Who she was. Where she learned to fight.

Neo didn't much enjoy authority figures. _Psychological Conditions and Disorders, Sixth Edition_ would probably have something pithy to say about it.

Or about her not telling Ruby about her uncle.

Or about her telling Jaune that she "lost sight of" the white fang scout that broke her scroll in an alley.

But Neo was only doing the same thing: Protecting Ruby. If Ruby knew about Qrow, he might tell her about Neo tailing them, and that might make Ruby leave her. And Neo couldn't protect Ruby if Ruby left her. Well, not easily. The point might be moot, as Neo hadn't seen the man since.

...Or about not telling Ruby about Neo's family. That wouldn't make Ruby leave her. That was a different kind of protection.

The dark man's blond friend stopped sweet talking the administrator's assistant and walked over. "He says he's busy. Wait or come back, do you think?"

The sitting man shrugged.

"Alright, good talk. But it looks like his last appointment is aaaaaand somehow it's Ruby." Blond man had turned to see Ruby and her team leaving the office. They walked over to Neo and the two men.

The assistant saw them leave too. "Master Wukong, you may enter."

"Yeah, in a minute." The blond man, Wukong, gestured to the group but turned back to his friend. "Sage, I haven't introduced you. This is Ruby, Jaune, Nora, and, eh..." He trailed off.

Ruby and the others arrived. "Lie Ren." Ren offered his hand.

Sun shook it without turning around. "Pleasure. Can we talk outside?" He started down a hall, without even a glance at Neo. "So. You're in Mistral."

"We just arrived." Jaune was right behind him. "We didn't expect to see any familiar faces." The others followed.

Neo got up and walked behind the rest, writing. Finally she hurried over to Ruby and presented her scroll. ᴅᴏ ᴡᴇ ᴛʀᴜsᴛ ᴛʜᴇᴍ

"Sun. Sage. This is Neopolitan. She's helping us in Mistral."

"Hey, Neopolitan." Sun reached a hand over and ruffled her hair. "You local? 'Cause I'm actually not."

Neo asked Ruby, ʏᴏᴜ ᴍᴇᴛ ᴅᴜʀɪɴɢ ᴠʏᴛᴀʟ

"Sun helped us out when we had problems with Torchwick." Ruby paused. "And when we had a misunderstanding with Blake."

"So that's a no on the hey back?" asked Sun.

"Neo doesn't like people," explained Nora. Neo noticed Sun moving his left hand around by his side. He was pointing to Nora.

"Neo doesn't speak," added Ren.

Neo did like _some_ people. Well, at least one person.

Maybe Nora was right.

"So, what were you doing in Professor Rama's office? Or at Haven? Or in Mistral at all, really?" Sun opened a door and held it while the group funneled into the classroom beyond. They congregated in a circle, Neo between Ruby and Sage. The room was lit by sunlight through the blinds.

"We're here hunting Cinder Fall and her people," said Jaune. "They're responsible for what happened during the festival. We think they made their way back here." Sun was now pointing to Jaune.

"We just got back ourselves, cause we were in Vale helping keep things tight. Neptune is with Scarlet's family doing some stuff, so me and Sage were reporting back. Sounds like there's a lotta details the kingdom doesn't know."

Sage nodded. He seemed tolerable. Neo started typing.

"Say, have you heard from Blake since the fall?" asked Ruby.

Neo looked at her scroll. ᴀsᴋ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ʙʟ. She cleared it and started again, trying to keep one eye on Sage's face.

"Do we trust everybody in this room?" asked Sun, not using Neo's name for some reason. Maybe he forgot it.

"Yes," answered Ruby, giving Neo's shoulder a squeeze. _There_ it was. Sage's eyes flicked down to Sun's hand before he focused his eyes on Ruby. Deaf. No. Partially deaf, maybe.

"Blake is actually in Mistral. Got here before me. And she's involved in some pretty heavy stuff."

Neo showed him her scroll. ᴡᴇ ɴᴇᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴛᴀʟᴋ ᴛᴏ ʜᴇʀ. Normally she would write "contact" but just typing on this thing was beginning to pink her eyes. And her eyes were already pink.

"Why do we need Blake?" asked Nora.

"I didn't know you knew Blake," added Ruby.

Neo typed. Several people watched her. ᴀᴅᴀᴍ ᴍᴇɴᴛɪᴏɴᴇᴅ ʜᴇʀ

"Who's Adam?" asked Sun.

"Blake's... old friend," provided Jaune. "Why do we need her?"

Like she'd told them before. ᴛᴏ ʀᴇғᴏʀᴍ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡʜɪᴛᴇ ғᴀɴɢ

Neo looked up. Ruby's eyes widened, and they weren't the only ones. What was Neo missing?

"And she's here? You mean she's been fighting them all this time? Did she..." Ruby swallowed. "Was she responsible for that abandoned building?"

"What building?" asked Sun.

ɴᴏᴛ ғɪɢʜᴛɪɴɢ. ᴀᴄǫᴜɪʀɪɴɢ.

"Not answering me works too," Sun added.

"Wait. Neo." Jaune pointed at her scroll. "Are you saying you made Blake take over the white fang?"

"That doesn't seem like her." Nora looked off into the distance. "Blake was never the leader type, was she?"

Neo needed a short message for Jaune. ʜᴇʀ ᴄʜᴏɪᴄᴇ.

"So I'm following more of this than I expected," said Sun.

"I'm not," said Sage. His voice was deep and earthy. Probably some accent, but hard to tell with only two syllables.

"So _you_ set Blake up with the white fang?" asked Sun. The emphasis on _you_ meant Neo's appearance was still working. It also meant that Sun knew what she needed. The heavy stuff he alluded to.

"She did kill their former leader," provided Ren.

"Her?" Sun demanded, turning to Ren, but pointing backwards. Sage glanced over, confused.

Neo grabbed Sun's chin and pointed his face into her scroll. ʏᴏᴜ ᴄᴀɴ ғɪɴᴅ ʜᴇʀ.

"Why didn't you tell me?" asked Ruby, face sinking. "I thought you trusted me."

_Oh no._


	5. Go Sadness

Time stopped. Everything faded. The classroom dropped away, off the edges of Neo's vision. The Haven students, then Nora, Ren, and Jaune. All Neo could see were those eyes, brows rising to a point above them. Ruby wasn't supposed to have that face, not ever.

This was the first time Neo had felt this way without the spill of blood. Usually her own. Everything was coming apart.

Ruby's need was Neo's need. Except she didn't need Blake for Blake's sake, only to make those eyes go away. How had Ruby misunderstood so badly? Neo told her, _I trust you._ She'd never said, _Trust me._ What a fool somebody would have to be to trust Neo. But Ruby had already met that standard.

Time resumed.

ɪᴛ ᴅɪᴅɴ'ᴛ ᴄᴏᴍᴇ ᴜᴘ. Neo maintained her composure. Can't let them see you weak. _Don't worry, Ruby._

_Sometimes things work._

"What," said Jaune. "And you didn't think she'd want to know?"

_I was protecting you._ No, Ruby wouldn't like that. She hated some truths. Deflect.

ʜᴇʀ ᴄʜᴏɪᴄᴇ. Blake hadn't contacted them, and _had_ contacted Sun. Whatever her circumstances, she had to in some way be aware of that. It was understood. Didn't need to be said. Neo tended to notice the nonverbal stuff.

"I..." Ruby averted her eyes, and seemed to deflate. "I miss her," Ruby whispered.

Neo had been right. Sort of. Blake would bring Ruby pain, so it was right to send her off. Blake would distract Ruby, so it was right to send her off. Blake would occupy her. It was happening already.

But it had passed the point where ignorance would solve anything. Blake had gotten herself involved, and now Ruby would need to see her. And Neo would be by her side, as she'd pledged her life to Ruby's suicide mission.

Blake, or someone under her, had better be of use. Because Neo was already paying them in pain and complication.

Neo handed her scroll to Sun, then hugged Ruby. On it were the words, ʀᴜʙʏ ɴᴇᴇᴅs ʜᴇʀ. ᴡᴇ ᴀʟʟ ᴅᴏ.

"I'll ask her, but seriously you guys, she has a _lot_ going on right now, and she didn't even have time for me. And I'm..." Sun brushed his hands down his jacket, which chose that moment to pop open, revealing his chest. "I'm me."

"Oh, there's no problems then," Nora assured him. "She'll care about us a _lot_ more than you."

"Now listen here, Nora." Sun pointed at her, but his hand still had Neo's scroll.

"She's right," said Sage.

Sun turned to him, betrayed, and finally threw up his hands. "You win. Beset on all sides here." Ruby nudged Neo off of her. A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth, although it didn't extend far inwards.

Neo snapped a few times and pointed at Sun's hand,which was holding her scroll at least seven feet in the air.

"Oh. Sorry." Sun held it out for her. Neo held her hands in front of her in refusal.

"She means to use it," said Jaune.

"I don't want to give you her number if she says no."

"That scroll was purchased two hours ago for a cost of thirty Lien," said Ren. "If she says no, Neo will purchase another."

"Fine. Leave the room." Sun backed into a corner of the classroom, strips of light from the blinds playing across his face as he walked.

Neo opened the door and walked out. The others, besides Sage, followed. There were no students around, but they still kept their conversation to a whisper.

"I don't think professor Rama believed us."

Now Neo understood. Ruby was friends with Sun, and the man gave her access to Blake. Ruby was friends with Blake, and she trusted that Blake would give her what she needed as well. It wasn't that her form of friendship was altruistic, it was just more... implicit.

"He seemed skeptical that we could be so well-informed."

Ruby befriended Neo, and she walked behind the girl to their deaths. _Stop it. Ruby has a plan. She has a power._ It was more complicated than that. Yes, Ruby got an ally. Ruby got protection. Neo...

"I say we bring him some evidence!"

Neo got hugged. Neo got company. Neo made fewer fists when she went more than an hour without breaking a bone. Neo got, at rare moments, to speak.

"Like what? They already know the white fang is in the city."

Neo also _gave_ hugs. Neo tolerated Ruby's friends, and worked to include them. Worked to include Ruby herself. Went out of her way to please Ruby with everything she did. No hurting. No killing. No smart moves.

"We can't get evidence of Cinder without getting, well, Cinder. And by that point we won't need Haven."

Neo got that feeling in the pit of her stomach when she saw Ruby sad. The one that made her life grind to a halt. The one that was more bad than nearly anything in Neo's life had been good.

"Do we know that Cinder is a free agent?"

Could Neo leave, or was it too late to make that feeling go away?

Sun opened the door, and the whispers stopped. "She says she'll see you tonight."


	6. Speak of the Devil

The first was inarguable. ᴄɪɴᴅᴇʀ ғᴀʟʟ. ғᴏʀᴍs ᴏғ ᴀᴛᴛᴀᴄᴋ: ᴅᴜsᴛ sʜᴀʀᴅs. ᴅᴜsᴛ ʙᴏᴡ. ᴅᴜsᴛ sᴡᴏʀᴅs. ʀᴇᴍᴏᴛᴇ ғɪʀᴇ ᴄᴏɴᴊᴜʀᴀᴛɪᴏɴ. ʜᴀɴᴅ ᴛᴏ ʜᴀɴᴅ. ᴅᴇғᴇɴsᴇs: sᴛʀᴏɴɢ ᴀᴜʀᴀ. ᴀᴄᴛɪᴠᴇ ᴀᴛᴛᴀᴄᴋ ʙʟᴏᴄᴋɪɴɢ.

"Active attack blocking?" Asked Jaune.

ɪғ sʜᴇ sᴇᴇs ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴀᴛᴛᴀᴄᴋ ᴄᴏᴍɪɴɢ, sʜᴇ ʙʟᴏᴄᴋs ɪᴛ.

"Any attack?" Ren looked up from cleaning his guns.

Neo nodded. sᴛʀᴀᴛᴇɢʏ: ʟᴇᴀᴠᴇ ᴛᴏ ʀᴜʙʏ.

"When you put it that way, it feels pretty impossible." Nervousness bled through Ruby's voice.

Neo nodded again. But she was trusting Ruby on that. ʟᴛ. ᴀᴍʙʀᴏɢɪᴏ. Neo didn't have a picture for this one. Or even a last name. First name? Whatever Ambrogio wasn't. ᴀᴛᴛᴀᴄᴋs: ᴄʜᴀɪɴsᴡᴏʀᴅ, ʟᴏɴɢ ʀᴇᴀᴄʜ. ᴅᴇғᴇɴsᴇs: ɪɴᴄʀᴇᴅɪʙʟᴇ ᴅᴜʀᴀʙɪʟɪᴛʏ. sᴛʀᴀᴛᴇɢʏ: ʟᴇᴀᴠᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴍᴇ.

Who should be next? Neo tapped the right half of the screen away from Cinder's picture, but it scrolled through a few other headshots before she found Emerald. The split screen made it nearly impossible to see what she was writing, especially with the scroll's low resolution screen, but the words were large and clear on the television screen on the hotel wall behind her. ᴇᴍᴇʀᴀʟᴅ sᴜsᴛʀᴀɪ. ᴀᴛᴛᴀᴄᴋs: sɪɴɢᴜʟᴀʀ ɪʟʟᴜsɪᴏɴs, ᴘɪsᴛᴏʟ ᴡʜɪᴘ-sɪᴄᴋʟᴇs. ᴅᴇғᴇɴsᴇs: ɪʟʟᴜsɪᴏɴs, sᴛᴇᴀʟᴛʜ.

Nubu raised her hand.

"Singular illusions?" Asked Nora. Nubu lowered her hand.

"She makes you see what she wants," said Ruby. Neo had reviewed the broadcast lead-in to the fall of beacon. She took a guess why Ruby was glaring.

ᴡʜɪʟᴇ ᴄᴏɴᴄᴇɴᴛʀᴀᴛɪɴɢ sʜᴇ ᴄᴀɴ ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ᴏɴᴇ ᴘᴇʀsᴏɴ sᴇᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ʜᴇᴀʀ ɪʟʟᴜsɪᴏɴs. ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴇxᴛʀᴇᴍᴇ ᴄʜᴀɴɢᴇs ʀᴇǫᴜɪʀᴇ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴇғғᴏʀᴛ. sᴛʀᴀᴛᴇɢʏ: ᴛᴇᴀᴍ ᴜᴘ. ᴜsᴇ sᴍᴇʟʟ.

After a pause, she scrolled once more. Thankfully, Mercury was next. ᴍᴇʀᴄᴜʀʏ ʙʟᴀᴄᴋ. ᴀᴛᴛᴀᴄᴋs: ᴍᴇᴄʜᴀɴɪᴄᴀʟ ʟᴇɢs, ʜᴀɴᴅ ᴛᴏ ʜᴀɴᴅ, ᴀɪʀ ᴅᴜsᴛ sʜᴇʟʟs. ᴅᴇғᴇɴsᴇs: ᴀɢɪʟɪᴛʏ. sᴛʀᴀᴛᴇɢʏ: ʟᴇᴀᴠᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴍᴇ.

Ruby's mouth pressed itself into a line. Nubu raised her hand.

ʏᴇs ɴᴜʙᴜ?

"I wish to know how to fight these men if you aren't nearby. Why are you the best against them?"

ᴀᴍʙʀᴏɢɪᴏ ᴡɪʟʟ ʙᴇᴀᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ɪɴ ᴄʟᴏsᴇ ᴄᴏᴍʙᴀᴛ ᴀɴᴅ ᴏɴʟʏ ɴᴏʀᴀ ʜᴀs ᴇғғᴇᴄᴛɪᴠᴇ ʀᴀɴɢᴇ. ᴛʜʀᴇᴇ ᴏғ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʙᴇ ʀᴇǫᴜɪʀᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴅᴇғᴇᴀᴛ ᴍᴇʀᴄᴜʀʏ ᴀᴛ ᴀɴʏ ʀᴀɴɢᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ᴏɴᴇ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴘʀᴏʙᴀʙʟʏ ᴅɪᴇ. ɪғ ᴍᴇʀᴄᴜʀʏ ɪs ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴇᴍᴇʀᴀʟᴅ ʀᴜɴ.

"If durability is Ambrogio's best defense, then you are not playing to your strengths against him," pointed out Ren. "If you can't disable your foe in a handful of strikes you take great risks."

ʜᴇ sᴡɪɴɢs ᴛᴏᴏ sʟᴏᴡ. It was common among the men Adam appointed to leadership positions. Ren nodded, and Neo scrolled through her pictures to a mug shot.

ᴄᴍᴅʀ. ᴇʙᴏʀɪᴄ. If Blake lacked control over one white fang cell, it would be his. ᴀᴛᴛᴀᴄᴋs: ᴅᴜsᴛ-ɪɴғᴜsᴇᴅ ɴᴇᴛ, ᴅᴜsᴛ sʜᴀʀᴅs. ᴅᴇғᴇɴsᴇs: ɴᴇᴛ ʙʟᴏᴄᴋs ᴀᴛᴛᴀᴄᴋs ᴀɴᴅ ᴘʀᴏᴊᴇᴄᴛɪʟᴇs. sᴛʀᴀᴛᴇɢʏ: ғʟᴀɴᴋ ᴏʀ ᴜsᴇ ᴀ ʟᴏɴɢ-ʜᴀғᴛᴇᴅ ᴡᴇᴀᴘᴏɴ.

Neo looked around the room. Nubu and Ren were rereading the text on the screen. Nora was staring at the ceiling. Jaune and Ruby were watching Neo with odd expressions on their faces.

ᴏʀ ʟᴇᴀᴠᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴍᴇ. Jaune's expression might have meant, I still can't believe you're doing this. Or it could have been that her information was so clear. That seemed unlikely. She'd battled Eboric once, two years ago, during a bodyguarding run in Mistral. He'd been easy once disarmed, but she got the feeling that battle had some element of luck. She would beat him now. The man was past 40, with Neo still approaching her prime. Was it awe or admiration? Neo wouldn't know those if she saw them.

Ruby's expression was calm. Studying. Searching Neo's face. Well, search away.

"Is it possible that Blake controls any of these?" Asked Jaune. Neo shook her head. It was possible Blake defeated them, or even ran them off; Neo didn't know her strength too well. And it was also possible that they would pledge to her, if _they_ didn't know Blake very well either. But they were controlled by anger. When they realized what Blake was doing, they would rally, attack, or just leave. There was no situation in which these men would be allies.

Neo scrolled to the next picture.

ʀᴏᴍᴀɴ ᴛᴏʀᴄʜᴡɪᴄᴋ. She hadn't heard about him since the night on the destroyer, but it was best to be prepared. ᴀᴛᴛᴀᴄᴋs: ᴄᴀɴᴇ, ғɪʀᴇᴡᴏʀᴋ ᴘʀᴏᴊᴇᴄᴛɪʟᴇs. ᴅᴇғᴇɴsᴇs: ʙʟᴏᴄᴋɪɴɢ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴄᴀɴᴇ. sᴛʀᴀᴛᴇɢʏ: ʜɪɢʜ-ᴠᴏʟᴜᴍᴇ ᴀᴛᴛᴀᴄᴋs ᴀᴛ ʀᴀɴɢᴇ ᴏʀ ᴛʜʀᴏᴡs. ɪғ ʟᴏsɪɴɢ, ᴛᴏᴜᴄʜ ʜɪs sᴋɪɴ ᴏʀ ɢᴇᴛ ʜɪᴍ ᴛᴀʟᴋɪɴɢ. She looked at Ren's guns. ᴏʀ ᴅɪsᴀʀᴍ ʜɪᴍ.

"Touch his skin?" Nora cocked her head to the side.

sᴋɪɴ ᴏɴ sᴋɪɴ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴀᴄᴛ ᴀᴄᴛɪᴠᴀᴛᴇs ʜɪs sᴇᴍʙʟᴀɴᴄᴇ.

"What kind of semblance would cause its user to be defeated?" Ren didn't look up.

ᴇᴍᴘᴀᴛʜʏ.

"Empathy?" Ruby sounded confused. Maybe she didn't know the word. No, she probably knew it. Some other reason.

ʜᴇ ᴡɪʟʟ ᴜɴᴅᴇʀsᴛᴀɴᴅ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴘʟɪɢʜᴛ.

Ruby asked, "Can we... convert him?" But Neo started shaking her head before she finished.

ɪᴛ ɪs ᴀ ᴡᴇᴀᴋɴᴇss. That's what Roman had said. Fight your desires and inclinations with knowledge and strength. Let nothing hold power over you, _especially_ yourself.

Yet he'd been the one to save her. And when Neo had left him, the first time at least, he'd asked her to stay. She'd danced from his touch that night. She'd told him in words, but that hadn't stopped him from asking to feel. Asking to truly understand why.

Neo always did the ending.

ᴛᴀʟʟᴡʏᴄʜ ᴀғᴏɴ, ʙᴇᴛᴛᴇʀ ᴋɴᴏᴡɴ ᴀs ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴜᴛᴄʜᴇʀ ᴏғ ᴏʟᴅᴛᴏᴡɴ...


	7. A Track and a Train

Of the all locations in the world defensible enough to support human habitation, Mistral Gorge was the largest. Its urban neighborhoods trailed into residential districts in the north and south, and on its sloped hills to the east and west were the terraced farms that kept its people fed.

At least until the peaks. The watchtowers on most mountaintops were automated or skeleton-crewed these days. On days when the train didn't run, a person could walk through a main street out in western agricultural and not see a soul. In her younger days, Neo had longed to do just that.

The train wasn't scheduled to run today, but Neo still stood, Ruby's hand in her own, watching one pull into the station. It was the only movement she'd seen in the town. Other buildings on this street had signs for shops and an inn, but no lights were on, even though the sun was nearly touching the peaks.

The train's doors popped open, revealing six purple-garbed white fang holding Rifles. _Two each._ They advanced onto the platform to surround Neo, Jaune, and Ruby between them. One entered the circle to pat them down. He took Iris from Neo's belt and moved to Ruby.

"Give it back." Neo had heard the voice before, but never with that note of command in it, the expectation of obedience. "She could kill you unarmed. The other two I trust." Blake Belladonna, exiting the engine car. Dressed in an outfit halfway between her old clothing and the white fang uniform. Wearing a thin white fang mask over her eyes, left arm in a sling and a cast below the elbow. "Let's talk upstairs." More white fang left the train behind her. Ruby's head locked to her and didn't look away.

The station was two stories to accommodate a walkway to the other platform, with its bulk on the near side. The group passed a ticket window before heading upstairs, which besides the walkway had a small waiting room, some employees-only doors, and a disused snack stand. Blake opened one of the employee doors and ushered Neo and her former classmates into a small room furnished like an apartment. "Set a perimeter," she ordered before closing her subordinates out.

"Blake I missed you so much I'm so happy to see you!" Ruby bounded over to the woman, opened her arms, and froze. "But, uh, I don't actually know how to do this."

Blake removed her mask, set it on a table, and hugged Ruby with her right hand. "It's been too long. I've been busy. Really busy. Where are Ren and Nora? I heard they were with you." Her eyes were puffy and dark.

"They're with a Sanctum student who went there for help. We... got kinda rejected at Haven," Ruby told her. "Pyrrha's sister, if you can believe it. She's nice but, like, really, really polite. It's kind of freaky. What happened to your hand?"

"Nothing." Blake smiled. "How's Yang?"

Neo stepped into a blind corner past the doorway and tuned them out while she typed. The building was stone, but this room was drywalled and painted pale green. A covered ceiling light illuminated the room, which had blinds drawn across the windows on the one exterior wall. There was a table with three chairs, a bed with plain white sheets and some boxes underneath, and a full-to-bursting bookcase. Not a typical train station employee store room, in other words. If it were set up by the white fang - and given that they were using it, it could have been - it might explain why the town felt even more deserted than Neo thought it should. Maybe it was her imagination.

Too many ifs. Neo added an afterthought and held up her scroll. ᴄɪɴᴅᴇʀ ғᴀʟʟ ᴡᴀs ᴡᴏʀᴋɪɴɢ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡʜɪᴛᴇ ғᴀɴɢ ɪɴ ᴍɪsᴛʀᴀʟ. ᴡᴇ ᴀʀᴇ ʟᴏᴏᴋɪɴɢ ғᴏʀ ʜᴇʀ. ᴄᴀɴ ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴇʟᴘ ᴜs? sᴏʀʀʏ ᴛᴏ ɪɴᴛᴇʀʀᴜᴘᴛ.

Blake scanned read it in an instant. "You won't like what I have to say. I have some leads and some men on a stakeout. Can you be a resource?"

Neo tilted her head in confusion.

"I don't have many men that can fight hunters. If I find a location, I'll need people like you to follow up. I'm in no condition to fight Cinder myself."

"Of course you aren't," said Jaune. "We need information and you need force. But Blake. Do you trust them?"

"Of course not. I trust who I need to trust. I verify what I can. I work to..." She blinked. "I inspire them. I inspire loyalty. I try."

"And what comes after?" Asked Ruby.

"Huh?" Blake shook her head to clear it before turning to the girl.

"After Cinder." Ruby swept her arm around the room. "When everything is fixed again. Are you going to come back to Beacon?"

Blake scoffed. "Why would I waste my time making plans for _that_?"

Ruby set her mouth into a line. "We will fix it, Blake. We're huntresses. It's our job."

" _You_ aren't anything, Ruby. You're a... an academy dropout. Jaune too." Despite a noise of protest from Jaune in the back of the room, Blake continued. "And we," she pointed to Neo, "we are criminals. Terrorists."

"You're a huntress and that's final," declared Ruby.

"Fine. It's not worth arguing." Blake walked back over to the table and fitted her mask over her eyes. "I'll call your scroll when I find anything."

"Wait, that's it?" Jaune stepped closer. "We barely said hello!"

"Do I look like I can sit down for dinner with you?" Blake snapped. "I have twenty bodyguards in this building and I should've brought more. I'm organizing hundreds of full members and a thousand loose affiliates from... from drugs, prostitution and terrorism and pointing them at a superwoman who can kill us all with a thought. I have funds for just over three weeks of operation, and without all of the illegal activities I ended I'm _not_ going to get more. This entire house of cards will come crashing down in a month with me on the top floor. I've killed four people this week, ordered the deaths of two more, and conflicts I started have killed eleven. I'm..." She faltered, but forced her way through. "I'm keeping count." She walked towards him, leaving a streaming afterimage suspended in her wake, like a camera with the shutter left open. "I'm leaving so that when Belle's White Fang burns to the ground, my commanders won't think you're important enough to hunt down and kill too."

Blake jabbed a finger into the middle of Jaune's chest, knocking him back. Her aftereffect vanished. "Feathers!" She shouted. "We're done here."

The room's door opened, and in stepped a seven foot tall man in a white fang lieutenant's mask.

The man looked familiar. Tallwych? Blake recruited him, and he was actually _working_ for her?

"Call the men across the walk," Blake ordered. "We're backing out. And I don't want to see anyone touching what they shouldn't. You're driving." Blake walked to the door.

_Feathers? Tallwych is a bear faunus._

Neo dove into Blake just as Tallwych roared and swept his arms in front of him, arm blades extending and sweeping through where Blake had been walking. She landed on Blake, half against the wall, pressing into her cast, and had the bizarre urge to apologize.

She couldn't afford to. If Blake hadn't reacted to Tallwych, she had seen him as Feathers. The Butcher wasn't alone. And if nobody had stopped him from reaching the door, it meant that Neo, Ruby, Jaune and Blake _were_ alone.

From the hall came clapping, and Tallwych stepped out of the room. Past him walked Emerald and Mercury. Mercury kept clapping and smiling like he was having the time of his life. Emerald, next to him, looked down and seemed like she was trying to disappear. In her hands she held the masked, bloodied head of a bird faunus.

"Well done on the save, Neo. You know, when they said you'd flipped, I didn't believe it." He placed his right hand around emerald's shoulders and rocked her forwards. She startled, and dropped the head, like she'd forgotten she was carrying it. "There's your feathers, Belle. He's not a great conversation partner. Kind of like someone else I know. But don't worry, we won't all have to sit around being socially awkward."

He stepped past the threshold, and nearly into Neo's reach. Belatedly, Emerald joined him.

"Because none of you are leaving this room alive."


	8. What a Day this is

ᴛᴀʟʟᴡʏᴄʜ ᴀғᴏɴ, ʙᴇᴛᴛᴇʀ ᴋɴᴏᴡɴ ᴀs ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴜᴛᴄʜᴇʀ ᴏғ ᴏʟᴅᴏᴡɴ. ᴀᴛᴛᴀᴄᴋs: ᴀʀᴍ ʙʟᴀᴅᴇs, ʀɪɢʜᴛ ᴀʀᴍ ɢᴜɴ, sᴛᴜɴɴɪɴɢ ʙɪᴛᴇ. ᴅᴇғᴇɴsᴇs: ᴘᴀʀʀʏɪɴɢ, sᴇᴍʙʟᴀɴᴄᴇ, ᴀʀᴍᴏʀ. sᴛʀᴀᴛᴇɢʏ: sᴛᴇᴀʟᴛʜ ᴏʀ ᴏᴠᴇʀᴡʜᴇʟᴍɪɴɢ ɴᴜᴍʙᴇʀs. ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ғɪɢʜᴛ ʜɪᴍ ᴀʟᴏɴᴇ.

Mercury stood in front of Emerald and Tallwych, smiling. _Did they track Blake? Or us? Does it matter?_

Tallwych hit hard, and his semblance let him ignore attacks from the person closest to him. He was slow enough to dodge, but the room was cramped, and he only needed one solid hit to send Neo flying.

Emerald, for all that she looked under the weather, would be fighting with Mercury. That made Mercury the threat. Actually, it made Mercury unkillable. But if Neo distracted them, maybe Ruby could pull off an upset against Tallwych while Neo was still alive. Then Ruby and Neo could get killed together.

If they ran, they'd be followed. Blake's dead guards meant they had the building under control. Running might just spring another trap. But what could be worse than Emerald and Mercury?

_Fighting others with Emerald and Mercury behind you._

Neo grabbed Iris and stood up. Jaune was faster.

"You monster!" He shouted, swinging his sword. Merc took a step forward and kicked Jaune's shield into his face, making him stumble. But the second of distraction let Neo move past him, to Emerald.

Tallwych, still next to Emerald, stabbed an arm at Neo. His sword struck glass. Neo swung Iris in a circle, low to the ground, hoping the real Emerald was anywhere near her projection. She hit a shin when Iris appeared to hit Emerald's shin. _Huh._ Was Em projecting into somebody else's head? Did she not see Neo as a threat?

"You'll be number five." Blake, perhaps weary of life, stood up and stepped into Tallwych's reach. The man struck down on her shoulders from both sides. Blake lifted both arms to block both attacks, her left arm lifting straight out of her cast and sling. _No, it didn't move._ She gripped his blades in two arms, shadowy and decaying, while her real right hand struck him in the chest with her sword. Neo stepped back to back with him before she struck again. He grunted and ripped his weapons away, shattering her shadows.

Neo popped out Iris's blade and lunged for Emerald, who ducked. Neo popped Iris open and swung it down behind her legs. Merc was too smart to attack there, of course. He kicked her in the back, slamming Neo into the hallway. Behind her, she could see Tallwych swing and miss Ruby, cutting the room's bed in two.

 _Come out then, Mercury. Leave Ruby and her friends alone. Tallwych can handle them._ She hoped it wasn't true.

"I guess you really needed that hand." Merc jumped through the doorway, foot forward. Neo closed Iris and blocked with its shaft, distributing the kick's force between her left hand holding the handle and her right palm at the umbrella's cap. He fired a shell out of reflex, but the shot went wide. _Nice try._

"Now, Em." The woman's eyes widened and she blinked, turning to Neo.

Merc went on the offensive, his body fuzzy, extra limbs jumping out at random times. Low kick after low kick, trying to damage her ankles or sweep her off her feet. It was a bad angle to use Iris, and Neo couldn't tell which limbs were real, so she dodged as much as she could. Every time she moved towards Emerald he scored a hit, so Neo just backed down the hallway to the stairwell. She needed to get him away. Far away. And take him down before Emerald could respond.

"Emerald, _come on_!" Mercury whined.

Jaune jumped out of the doorway and tackled Emerald, who cried out more in surprise than pain. Mercury's image solidified as he tried to kick Neo through a window. Neo glassed, dodged behind him, and pushed him out of it instead.

She pushed air. "Too easy." Behind her, Mercury appeared and shoved her through the glass. _Ruby!_

Her sloppiness would cost her. Neo popped open Iris just in time to correct her fall. _Stupid. You trusted something. Emerald was there and you trusted something._ Her feet touched pavement.

All around her, the street was moving. A bullhead, flying low overhead. White fang, bowled over left and right by Ren's strikes and Nora's hammer. Nubu, trying to duel a wide white fang lieutenant Neo didn't know, whose torso was surrounded by a bubble of water. As Neo watched, Nubu stabbed towards his head, but he just grabbed a sphere of water from the mass at his chest and caught her spear's point in his fist, the ball of water suspended in his grasp absorbing the force.

Seeing the targets, Neo wanted to go pink, but she knew Ruby was still upstairs, now outnumbered. At least if you don't count Jaune, or counted Mercury and Emerald multiple times. Her eyes stayed silver.

Neo slide-tackled the water man, but he barely seemed to notice her behind him. She kicked his thigh, and he turned around. Nubu also looked at her for the first time. "I can't hurt him!" Nubu yelled.

Neo pointed to the broken window above them and snapped. At least Nubu used wide, sweeping attacks to hit through Emerald's illusions, and her flexible range might help against Mercury. She could keep them distracted until Neo showed up to help her close it. Or die slowly enough that Neo would be there in time to save Ruby.

Hopefully. Never mind that Neo hadn't been able to hit him at all.

"Yes Ma'am!" Nubu yelled, throwing her spear towards the window, dust firing from behind. The man reached again for her with his hand, but she shot away after her spear like the tail of a kite. He got a hand around her foot, which shot from his grip, spraying water.

"Nora!" Shouted Ren, throwing a grunt in her direction. Whooping in delight, she knocked the man with her hammer like she was swinging a bat, and his body shot through an upstairs window of the store across the street. The same one where the three had been waiting in case of trouble.

"You'll do," decided the lieutenant, facing Neo. Neo gave him an appraising kick in the chest. It was like he was covered in molasses, but worse. She barely withdrew her foot before he could grab it.

Neo needed to bring him down without striking through his bubble. Fine. She had never heard of this man before. Few fish faunus in general, fewer still in the white fang. His gills stood out.

He swung a hand at Neo. She dodged to the left and dragged Iris across his stomach, scraping the umbrella's ribs against him. She peeled some water off, which splashed to the ground. The other water redistributed itself, and his bubble barely shrank.

_Too slow. Ruby will die._

Ren and Nora were doing fine. Neo needed to clean up the street so that they could concentrate on her opponent. She danced away from him and into a man with a rifle, taking a few hits on her aura. She kicked the rifle up from his hands, pulled her foot back to chamber it, and kicked him through a faded sign advertising toothpaste. As the man's rifle fell she caught it with Iris, spun in a circle, and loosed the rifle like a sling bullet. The rifle struck another lackey in the head, knocking him down and spinning his mask halfway around. Few white fang still standing. Neo closed Iris and jumped over Nora to bash her next target in the head.

"Hey!" Nora pulled her hammer back just in time.

Neo pointed at the lieutenant and snapped her fingers. Even if she could get out a scroll and type, her current scroll was too slow.

"Fine, fine. He doesn't really yell when you hit him. Ren! Big guy!" Seeing the man was already attacking her partner, Nora took off to aid him.

Neo knocked down a man with a sword, somersaulted onto him, and threw him into the lieutenant's watery back, where he stuck. The man spun his arms for balance and rocked backwards, earning a grenade-powered strike from Nora and a palm from Ren. A parting shot. _Sorry for stealing Nubu and running, but Ruby is about to die._ She might miss the jump back through the stairwell window. Faster to take the stairs. There was a faunus with a mace guarding it, but he didn't look like a problem.

Above him, the wall exploded. Stones and debris shot out in a cloud from the second floor, pelting the street and surrounding buildings. Neo heard Ren shout.

Mercury landed in the middle of the street, boots scraping and tearing up the asphalt. He looked at Neo and grinned. "Nice friends you got, Pink. Shame they chose you."

Neo wasn't sure who did it or how, but she would have to leave Ruby in their care for a little while longer. Mercury was alone, and Neo would kill him.


	9. Living for You

Neo couldn't check her scroll, but she knew her body. Aura would be just under half. She couldn't tell much about Mercury, save that his was still up. A fair fight, if she was lucky.

Both had seen the other fight. Neo could win if Merc's aura was under three quarters. Technical exchanges, no overextensions, and she would come out on top. Merc was a strong and a good reader, but she was more flexible and might be faster. And she had a better weapon, if she stayed in close range.

More white fang were leaving the bullhead, and she wasn't sure about Ren and Nora's fight against the water man even without them. Ruby was still fighting Tallwych, Emerald, and any other white fang that joined them. Neo jumped towards Mercury and swung Iris. She didn't have _time_ for technical exchanges.

Merc blocked the blow with his hand and spun, transferring the momentum into a kick. Neo glassed and kicked the back of his knee from below. He backflipped, firing a shell, and landed five feet away.

Neo was there, jabbing his stomach with Iris, winding him. He chopped towards her neck as he doubled over, then kicked off with a pair of shells, flying over her head and abandoning the hit as she went to block. He shot midair to spin around and kick her from behind, but Neo popped open Iris to block his leg, shoving him back into his original trajectory. That meant he landed facing away from her, and Neo kicked him in the back, but he rolled away and settled into a light stance before she could hit him a second time.

This time Mercury attacked. He kicked off, leading with a boot, and Neo held Iris to absorb it. Instead he shot more shells and dodged around it, getting inside her guard and punching. Neo took the hit and fell backwards, Iris hooking him from behind and bringing him down on top of her. Neo caught his legs on her feet and kicked up, flipping his body over her head, then let go of Iris and punched his head as he spun past.

 _If you can't disable your foe in a handful of strikes you take great risks_. One solid hit and her aura went from half to a quarter. She grabbed Iris.

"What's wrong, Neo?" Both stood. "Feeling a bit pressed for time?"

Two white fang off the bullhead trained their rifles on Neo and opened fire. She crouched and hid behind Iris, leaving herself open to Mercury. He jumped and axe kicked, so Neo swung Iris upwards to block, exposing herself to the riflemen. Merc fired off a round and popped over her, so she fired Iris's canopy into his leg. He landed on his side, and Neo stabbed him out of habit with the bare blade and closed distance with the shooters, blocking what shots she could. As she ran, one had Ren thrown into him, crashing together with the hunter through a storefront. The other turned in surprise, letting Neo stab him enough times to break his aura and ribcage. Ruby would have to understand. Where had Ren come from? There were no more white fang recruits visible. The lieutenant was fetal in the street, engulfed entirely by water, while Nora screamed Ren's name and hammered on the bubble.

Barely any aura after the rifle shots. Neo would have to be careful now, because if...

Merc kicked her square in the back. Neo and the dead man's body slammed together into a traffic pole and Neo saw stars. They rebounded and fell to the ground, the man's corpse pinning her down.

No aura. No strength. Merc smiled. "This must be very stressful for you. Don't worry, it won't last long."

"Nope!" Shouted Nora. She jumped and smashed the lieutenant's bubble again, firing off another charge and flying towards Mercury on the recoil. When she reached him, she fired another blast to get spinning.

 _She has to know she'll lose._ Mercury crossed his forearms in front of him and absorbed the blow, sliding ten feet straight back, gouging parallel lines in the street with his boots. He ducked inside her next swing and caught the handle of her hammer. Neo saw sparks where he grabbed, but it didn't stop him.

 _Nora can't exchange blows. He'll kill her._ Neo shoved the corpse off of her, gasping, and rose to her feet. Five steps to merc and nora.

 _One._ Left hand on the hammer, Merc raised his right foot and kicked Nora. She dodged his second kick and changed her grip, moving to the other side of the hammer.

 _Two._ Nora swung under the hammer, now held between the two, and kicked.

 _Three._ Merc caught her leg between his own and wrenched the hammer from her grip.

 _Four._ Nora fell to the ground, ankle still pinned above Merc's knees.

 _Five._ Merc grabbed Nora's ankle in his hand and stomped her stomach straight through her aura. Neo's foot took him in the head, snapping his aura in turn. He landed across the street. Nora was out of the fight, if she was even still awake. Neo advanced, but Merc flipped to his feet.

Once again, Neo and Mercury squared off. Another even fight that Neo had to win, even more quickly. Behind Mercury she heard crashes and a man's shouts coming from the train station's upper story. At least it wasn't Ruby screaming, but there were two reasons that could be.

Mercury moved, letting Neo see Emerald behind him, standing in the station's doorway. Her face was a mess of blood, mucus and tears. He jumped straight at Neo, who held up a hand to block. Instead of coming straight, he swung his feet around in midair and rocketed to Neo's left, before swinging his feet around again and firing again, to come straight at her from the side.

Neo heard a click, and he landed instead. Mercury was out of shells. It was an uncharacteristic mistake. Shooting himself off course, then running out of ammo before he could correct?

 _Don't trust it. Don't trust anything. Don't trust that most of all._ It would require perfect timing.

She could predict when and where his leg would hit if he hadn't adjusted his course. Neo glassed and moved to the side, stabbing right where his leg was. Only it wasn't.

Mercury, from where he'd appeared to be, kicked her in the chest. A strategic flaw. His strength had always been in reading people, and Neo was just too predictable. She fell to the ground, hitting her head and back, and gasped for air. Her head landed facing right, and all she could see was Emerald looking at the pair. Something crunched when she hit the pavement. Her scroll.

"Well, I think we can agree that was thrilling." With effort, Neo turned her head over. Merc was standing a few steps away, bruised but alert. Behind him, the lieutenant was crouched over Nora's body, grinning like a child, holding a bubble of water around her head. "But this is where we part ways. I didn't get a chance, so why don't you tell your friend Ruby that she was boring the whole time, right until the end." Neo tried to speak, but all she could manage was a gurgle. What was he saying? He couldn't be saying...

Mercury raised a boot in triumph, and stomped on the asphalt two feet from to Neo's head.

"That's weird," Mercury muttered, looking down. There was a crack and his body flew backwards, spewing blood from his chest. Neo heard footsteps and someone grabbed her chin, turning her head to the right. Emerald's hand. Her other held her pistol. Neo could smell the fire dust. Smell. She was supposed to use it. Someone had said that...

"Neo. You have trust me. You have to help me," Emerald babbled, crying. Neo was finding it harder and harder to keep her eyes open. "I've seen what she's doing. What Salem's doing. I can't"

Emerald gasped when the blade of a scythe sprouted from her chest. Blood dripped from the tip and out of her mouth, covering Neo's chest. _I_ _knew you were alive_ , Neo wanted to say, but she couldn't say a thing before the world went black.


	10. Ruby, No

Ruby Rose was alive.

Neopolitan was too, surprisingly enough. She was lying in a bed. Her chest was tight with bindings, and her chest and head ached.

But Ruby Rose was alive. Right? She'd seen her scythe. Neo would open her eyes, and there Ruby would be, at the foot of her bed, passed out, hanging halfway out of her chair. And Neo would wake her, and Ruby would smile, and they would speak together, and everything would be right again.

Neo opened her eyes. It was night. She was in a dark room, sterile white, with curtains half-drawn around her bed. Ruby Rose was draped across the bed by her feet. _Called it._ Neo smiled, and reached out to tap the girl. Ruby would want to know she was alright. Neo wanted Ruby to know.

"Yang, just five more..." Ruby snorted before sitting up. "Neo! I... I'm so happy you're alive. What hurts? Do you need anything?"

Neo stared.

"Oh! Right." Ruby fumbled through her pockets and handed Neo a scroll. "It's your old model, I think. Your new one got broke."

Neo smiled, then realized she'd been asked a question. ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ᴡᴏʀʀʏ ʀᴜʙʏ ɪ'ᴍ ғɪɴᴇ.

"Yeah, fine in that the-doctor-won't-let-you-walk-in-under-a-week way." Ruby wiped the smile from her face. "Nora is dead. My uncle Qrow found us, and he saved us, but Nora died. He wasn't fast enough."

Neo set her mouth into a line. The woman had meant a lot to Ruby. ɪ ᴡᴀsɴ'ᴛ ғᴀsᴛ ᴇɴᴏᴜɢʜ. sʜᴇ ᴅᴇғᴇɴᴅᴇᴅ ᴍᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʜᴇʀ ʟɪғᴇ.

"I know you did everything you could. We all did. They..." Ruby looked down.

ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ᴇᴍᴇʀᴀʟᴅ?

"Qrow saved us." Ruby swallowed hard. Qrow?

Qrow had done what Neo had wanted to do, and Ruby realized it was necessary. Accepting the death of her enemies. It _could_ be a good thing. Neo remembered Qrow having a sword. Had he picked up Ruby's scythe? Was he the one that knocked Mercury out of the building, too? Or was it Nubu? Or Blake?

ʜᴏᴡ ɪs ᴇᴠᴇʀʏᴏɴᴇ

"Ren is resting at the hotel. He's almost better. It's been three days, by the way. Jaune needed surgery for his foot. He won't walk for a month, but it might just be a week or two with his aura. Blake got a nasty cut on her ear, her cat ear, her left cat ear. And she broke her arm, the broken one, she broke it again. But we couldn't get her to stay in the hospital long enough to get looked at, so I don't know when she'll heal." Ruby paused. "Nubu is fine, just cuts and bruises. Her parents want her to come home, but she said no. And I got away without a scratch. Again."

Ruby took Neo's hand. "It's not that I'm so much better, and I didn't run or anything. I was together, fighting with them the whole time. You have to believe me."

Neo nodded. She did. She trusted Ruby.

"It's just that when things started going bad for me, that was right when Qrow showed up."

If there was ever a time to tell Ruby, it was now. ǫʀᴏᴡ ᴡᴀs ғᴏʟʟᴏᴡɪɴɢ ʏᴏᴜ ʙᴇғᴏʀᴇ ɪ ᴍᴇᴛ ᴜᴘ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ɴɪᴋᴏs ʜᴏᴜsᴇ.

Ruby read the scroll and looked at the foot of Neo's bed. "Qrow also told me something." Ruby exhaled and shivered, like she'd been dunked in cold water. "He told me that you killed Blake's white fang members after you captured them."

How did Qrow know that? Neo had been alone in that alley, besides the obvious. How had Qrow trailed her so effectively?

 _He did the same to the others before I arrived._ Yet somehow it didn't seem right that it should happen to her. Or that he would've been watching her when she was away from Ruby. Unless he could do both. Just what _was_ his semblance? ᴏɴʟʏ ᴏɴᴄᴇ ᴀɴᴅ sʜᴇ ᴡᴀs ᴛʜʀᴇᴀᴛᴇɴɪɴɢ ᴍᴇ.

"Yes, I'm sure she was too much for you." Neo got the distinct impression that Qrow had told Ruby more details about the meeting. "Was it her choice that you keep _that_ secret, too? We were going to be honest with each other, Neo."

She'd messed up. Neo messed up and now Ruby was angry with her. ɪ'ᴍ ɴᴏᴛ ɢᴏᴏᴅ ᴀᴛ ʜᴏɴᴇsᴛʏ ᴡʜɪᴄʜ ɪs ᴡʜʏ ɪ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴘʀᴏᴍɪsᴇᴅ ʙᴜᴛ ɪ ᴄᴀɴ ᴛʀʏ ʜᴀʀᴅᴇʀ ɪ sᴡᴇᴀʀ ɪ ᴄᴀɴ ᴛᴇʟʟ ʏᴏᴜ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏᴛʜɪɴɢ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ

"I can't be on a team with someone that lies to me, Neo. I can't be watching my friends too. And lying about not murdering is about as bad as it gets."

No! Keep working. Things can work out. Anything. ᴍʏ ɴᴀᴍᴇ ᴡᴀs ᴍᴀʀɪ ɪ ᴡᴀs sᴏʟᴅ ᴀᴛ ᴀɢᴇ ᴇɪɢʜᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴀ ᴅʀᴜɢ ᴅᴇᴀʟᴇʀ ɴᴀᴍᴇᴅ ɴᴇʀᴏ ᴍʏ ʟᴀsᴛ ᴡᴏʀᴅs ᴡᴇʀᴇ ɪ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴍʏ ᴍᴏᴍᴍʏ ɪ ᴋɪʟʟᴇᴅ ʜɪᴍ ᴛʜʀᴇᴇ ʏᴇᴀʀs ʟᴀ

"Enough, Neo. Keep the scroll. And thank you for saving my life." Ruby stood up, teared up, and walked to the door.

ɪ ʟᴏᴠᴇ ʏᴏᴜ. Neo banged on her headboard, but Ruby didn't turn around to look. So she pulled herself to the side of the bed, positioned her feet on the ground, and slipped from the sheets.

Neo's legs buckled, spilling her to the floor in a heap. Her chest started aching as a stitch popped. Her scroll slid under the bed. She still had strength in her arms. Neo began to crawl.

The fall made Ruby turn around. The girl looked Neo up and down and walked back. Ruby lifted Neo by her armpits and placed her back on the bed. "Be safe, okay?"

"I love you, Ruby. I love you," Neo spoke.

Ruby smiled. "Thanks, Neo. I love you too." She leaned over and kissed Neo on the forehead. When she straightened, her face was solemn. "But love isn't enough."

And she walked out.


	11. Thank You for Sending me an Angel

It seemed wrong that there was nobody to tell.

Nora was a star, lighting up the night sky. When all others dimmed, she shined, unwavering. Nothing in Ren's life had ever been so constant.

He half-listened to Qrow's explanation of the plan. A base outside the kingdom, thought abandoned. Corruption. In Mistral it wasn't far-fetched. The entire place could be bought and sold, at least if what Ren had seen about the armed forces held true for the rest of the kingdom.

It was taken for granted that Ren would stay with them. Ren closed his eyes. He _would_ stay with them. He had nowhere else to go. Nobody to seek out, spend a night at their house, and tell them that their daughter was dead. The people that truly cared about Nora were all in this room. The ones that hadn't beaten her to the afterlife.

He _could_ leave. He never was the star pupil. Just quiet enough to stand next to them without anybody noticing. Ready to take a hit for them, but not capable enough to take two. Or at least not three. Four. Enough.

"The fair folk think it's all theirs," Qrow was saying. With Qrow around, they wouldn't even miss him in combat. Far from it. Probably wouldn't miss Neopolitan, gone as quickly as she swept in. "I don't know what they've been promising humans, but somehow they got allies, and for the first time in centuries they're making a big move. One maiden's power might not be enough for them. There's a maiden in Mistral, but she went to ground when the CCT blew and despite my considerable skill, I haven't been able to find her. So there's our choice. We protect the summer maiden in atlas, find the spring maiden here, or look for the fair city directly."

Nubu raised her hand.

"Fer dust's sake, just speak, you're wasting everyone's time."

"Mr. Branwen, what would we find in the fair city?"

"They're not like maidens, but the fair folk have powers. And I don't know how big it is, or how many there are. There's a lot of unknowns. That's why I think you kids deserve to have a voice."

"This is it, isn't it?" Asked Jaune. "This is the tipping point. Either we win or the grimm do."

Qrow scoffed. "It's always been the tipping point. Except humanity's only option has been to lose or stay still. Cinder captured the autumn maiden's magic using a gift from the fair folk, and Ruby was able to punish her for it. The power of Argents doesn't affect normal humans. It's our first clue that we may have a new weapon."

"I don't want to be a weapon," Ruby whispered. "Hasn't there been enough killing?"

"These people, or whatever they are, they made the grimm, Ruby. They're not playing with kid gloves."

"They made them, can't they unmake them?"

"I don't know." Qrow took a sip from his flask. "And I don't think I'll ever get the chance to ask."

Moving on, all of them. Ren could pretend to join them. They might even believe him. Avoiding scrutiny was one of his talents. When they'd returned from the attack, the headman had shunned Nora as a harbinger. Carrier of misfortune, who remained unscathed each time, to better infect the next group foolish enough to take her in.

Ren, he'd ignored. And Ren had stuck by Nora, never once letting her believe it. She hadn't believed it, had she? She'd seen Ren give up his happiness, and told him she'd smile enough for him too.

Nobody was smiling now. _You were wrong, headman. You said she would survive. Every time, I expected it. Even if I suffered for my closeness, I knew she would survive._ It was the function of harbingers. If they weren't alone, others died in their place. Ren had made sure Nora was never alone.

"So. Ruby." Qrow bent over her chair, locking eyes. "You're the special one. What's your call?"

It just seemed wrong that there was nobody to tell.

ᴇɴᴅ


End file.
